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2010-04-03 03:20:57 - Extreme Weather - Canada EDIS CODE: ST-20100403-25568-CAN
Date & Time: 2010-04-03 03:20:57 [UTC]
Area: Canada, Province of British Columbia, Vancouver area, Damage level: Moderate (Level 2)
Not confirmed information! Description: British Columbians are being blown away as a tumultuous holiday weekend windstorm sweeps across the province — causing massive power outages and travel woes. B.C. Hydro says more than 90,000 customers on Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast and the Lower Mainland were without power Friday afternoon as high winds toppled trees onto lines and roads, causing severe damage to equipment. “Last time we had winds this damaging was in 2006,” said B.C. Hydro spokesman Dag Sharman. “This is a very significant storm — the strength of the winds and direction of the winds — and it’s caused a lot of damage to our equipment and has made restoring power to our equipment very difficult as well.” Sharman said “it’s all hands on deck” as extra crews and contractors have been called in on Vancouver Island to deal with more than 150 separate hydro outages alone. Environment Canada has issued a high-wind warning for Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast and the Lower Mainland, with southwest wind gusts estimated between 50 to 90 kilometres an hour during the early evening through much of those regions. The high winds and rough seas caused a number of ferry sailing cancellations between Vancouver and Nanaimo, Vancouver and Sunshine Coast, Campbell River and Quadra Island, Tsawwassen and Salt Spring Island, and Comox and Powell River. Several other ferry sailings were reporting delays, prompting B.C. Ferries to advise long weekend travellers to monitor its website for service updates. Ferries were only accommodating customers with reservations at Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay, the company said in a service notice sent out at midday Friday.
B.C. Ferries spokesman Mark Stefanson said sailings between Vancouver and Nanaimo were cancelled after rough winds damaged the Queen of Coquitlam vessel. “It hit some heavy seas and severe wind conditions and caused some damage to the bow door,” Stefanson said. “We had to turn around the vessel, return to dock in Nanaimo and discharge the vehicles and passengers. Our engineers have been working on that and the vessel will be back in service.” Stefanson said service between Nanaimo and Vancouver was expected to resume at 7 p.m. Friday, weather permitting. The cancellations and delays came after B.C. Ferries added 26 sailings to accommodate the long-weekend run. Stefanson said the majority of the additional sailings were slated for Thursday and Sunday and had so far gone off without a hitch. The company is pondering whether to add extra sailings Saturday morning, since many travellers were facing extensive waits and cancellations from Friday’s havoc. In Vancouver, things weren’t much better as police were forced to shut down Stanley Park, the causeway and Lion’s Gate Bridge to traffic in both direction due to falling trees. The causeway was closed for two hours while trees were removed, and reopened at 6:15 p.m. In Vancouver’s Point Grey neighbourhood, a fallen tree on trolley lines on West 4th Avenue between Alma and Blanca Streets caused major backups as the No. 4 and No. 84 were routing via Alma, 10th and Blanca, with the No. 84 continuing on to Chancellor Boulevard and beyond. Vancouver police say they are receiving multiple reports of falling debris from buildings and fallen trees in the downtown core although no injuries had been reported by Friday afternoon.
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